Virtuasonic releases Synesthesia in the more Mac-friendly AIFF format. This particular collection was previously available only in WAV format and contains over 1,000 experimental impulse responses designed to turn any convolution engine into a powerful multi-FX processor.

Synesthesia is particularly suitable for sound design and electronic music, but it can become a secret weapon for every musician and sound designer looking for new ways to improve his creativity flow. Every music work, from film scoring to rhythmic electronic and ambient music, could gain benefit from the use of this unusual set of impulse responses that can transform sound in many ways:

Reshape spectral balance
Add new nuances
Melt sounds into new sonic textures
Create alter-egos of traditional acoustic and electro-acoustic musical instruments
Reverse and pitch-bend audio in interesting ways
Generate unusual delays and supernatural acoustics

Synesthesia is priced US$34.95 and is available as CD-ROM and as a downloadable product, in WAV or AIFF format.

For more information, visit their web site at www.virtuasonic.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Recording, Technology

Digidesign is pleased to announce that ICON, Pro Tools|HD®, Pro Tools LE™ and Pro Tools M-Powered™ systems will soon be compatible with the new Mac Pro computer introduced yesterday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Digidesign is expecting to release an Intel-based Mac-compatible update to its acclaimed Pro Tools HD 7.2 software in September 2006. This free update for all owners of Pro Tools HD 7.2 software will allow ICON and Pro Tools|HD users to build their Digidesign system around the new Mac Pro. Within a similar timeframe, the company expects to release compatible versions of its range of Digidesign and Digidesign-distributed TDM plug-ins, while working very closely with third-party manufacturers to help them port their plug-ins and compatible applications to the Intel Mac platform.

Based on preliminary testing, Digidesign is also expecting that the current version 7.1.1 of Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered software (already compatible with Apple’s existing range of Intel-based computers such as MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac) will function on the new Mac Pro without problems. Full qualification is expected late Q4 2006. Please note that 7.1.1 is a free update for all Pro Tools LE 7 and Pro Tools M-Powered software owners.

“The release of professional Intel-based desktop Macs is great news for our customers,” said Dave Lebolt, Digidesign’s general manager. “Pro Tools users in all areas of audio production – professionals and enthusiasts alike – will be able to enjoy maximum performance and audio quality when using their Digidesign system in combination with the cutting-edge technology and robust power of the new Mac Pro. Strong cooperative ties and ongoing technical collaboration with Apple have made it possible for us to deliver Pro Tools versions that are compatible with these new machines quickly, keeping our customers in sync with the fast-paced Mac innovations.”

As Digidesign’s development on the Intel Mac platform moves forward, the company plans to maintain backwards compatibility with PowerPC-based Mac systems for its Pro Tools product line. Pro Tools software – in all its incarnations – will continue to be a cross-platform application, working on either Mac OS X or Windows XP configurations.

For the most current system requirements, compatibility information, and online support, please visit www.digidesign.com/compato.

For more information, visit their web site at www.digidesign.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Computer, Recording, Technology

Cycling ’74, a San Francisco-based music software company, today released Soundflower v.1.2, which adds Universal Binary support for Intel-based Macs. Soundflower is a free system extension that allows users to route audio between OS X Core Audio applications. It also lets you monitor any connection with the free Soundflowerbed application.

Cycling ’74 originally developed Soundflower as a way to allow applications developed with its Max/MSP audio environment to process audio originating from other programs. However, it can be used for more general audio routing tasks patching either 2- or 16-channel data at 32-bit sample depth between any applications that support standard Core Audio driver selection. Soundflower can be selected as a “default device” in the Audio/MIDI Setup utility for programs (such as iTunes) that do not allow the selection of a specific output device. As a result, Soundflower has found widespread use in the advanced podcasting community.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.cycling74.com/.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Recording, Software, Technology

Apogee Electronics Corporation announced today a new high performance PCI-Express driver for their ‘Symphony’ 32-channel PCI-Express card. This Universal Binary driver is designed to take special advantage of the power and technology in Apple’s new Intel-based Mac Pro to achieve performance levels previously unattainable in native audio.

“We are very excited about the power and capability of the Mac Pro,” says Betty Bennett, Co-Founder and CEO of Apogee. “The combination of the Mac Pro and our Symphony PCI-Express card delivers on the promise of high performance native audio for professionals.”

“The newly designed Mac Pro delivers quad-Xeon performance, greater expansion, high-end workstation graphics and unprecedented customization to fit the wish lists of the most demanding user,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We’re delighted Apogee has taken advantage of the innovative architecture and blazing speed of the Intel-based Mac Pro to deliver powerful professional audio performance with Symphony.”

Apogee’s new Universal PCI-Express driver, in combination with the powerful Intel processors in the Mac Pro, lowers the latency of the Symphony PCI-Express card by over 50% into the 2ms range. This achievement is a significant increase in performance beyond other native solutions on the market and compares favorably to the latency on other hardware-based systems.

The Mac Pro architecture in combination with the Symphony PCI-E card’s high channel count and low latency surpasses all competitors in performance and value. With up to 4 internal SATA drives, the Mac Pro can be setup as a striped RAID, making recording and playback at high channel counts with high sample rates a breeze. The power of the two Dual-Core Intel Xeon chips gives you more plug-ins, and more soft synths, with even lower buffer settings than ever before. Symphony PCI-E and the Mac Pro deliver twice the power and performance of other systems, at half the price. Symphony PCI-Express Card at a glance:

• 32 channel PCI-Express card, capable of 24-bit 192k Digital I/O
• Single 32 channel PC-32 bi-directional connector from converter to computer
• Direct connectivity to Apogee’s Rosetta 800, Rosetta 200 and AD-16X and DA-16X converters via the option card
• Universal binary driver compatible with Apple’s new Mac Pro hardware
• Apogee’s Maestro Software for advanced control and routing
• Compatibility with all CoreAudio software applications

For more information, visit their web site at www.apogeedigital.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Hardware, Recording, Technology

macProVideo.com announces the release of Ableton Live 101: Mastering Live. This program is designed and shot by UK technical author and Ableton educator Martin Delaney (author of Laptop Music and Ableton Live 5 Tips & Tricks, by PC Publishing). In over 6 hours, and 159 separate tutorial videos, these real-time screen-captures let you see and hear how songs are constructed using Live.

This program covers Live 5, but new purchases are eligible for a free upgrade to Ableton Live 101:Mastering Live 6, currently in production. Ableton Live 101: Mastering Live is available for direct download ($35.55 USD) or on DVD ($39.50 USD).

Additionally, macProVideo.com has released 55 minutes of free Logic Pro tutorials and 45 minutes of free Final Cut tutorials. These free tutorials are available exclusively to macProVideo.com members, and new free tutorials will be added on a regular basis. To start an account and begin downloading free tutorials, register here.

For more information, visit their web site at www.macprovideo.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Education, Recording, Software, Technology